The Flag symbolizes the culture. Out of many, one. E Pluribus Unum |
This country did have a race problem. I will not sweep that under the rug. We rectified it with the deaths of 620,000 souls during the Civil War. We rectified it with the freeing of the slaves. We rectified it by the passing of the Civil Rights Act and the integration of schools. We rectified it by integrating the Armed Forces. What we didn't do is tell every one to stay in your separate little cliques and communities. I don't doubt that racism still exists but much of the racism now is due to people trying to keep communities closed off from one another for less than noble causes. Identity politics has taken our country by the nape of the neck. Follow along, if you will.
The American culture has shown itself to be superior to that of other countries. Why do we discourage it? Why do schools teach that just because someone has darker or lighter skin or a different accent that they must remain true to their ethnic background and heritage? I understand that there are customs and foods that other cultures have brought here that add to our own, but they must not be allowed to replace the American culture where the individual is the ultimate form of expression of culture. Being one's own person and not belonging to a group based upon inborn features must be THE goal. Just because your neighbor has the same color of skin or shape of eyes does not make them just like you. What makes someone like you is your experiences and beliefs. A church of people that believe the same way is a group to belong to because it is a conscious decision to do so. A group of people united around a common art or discipline is also something that you may choose to be associated with to your betterment. Why just congregate with people because their ancestry is somewhat like yours? I don't hang around with people of only English or German backgrounds and I doubt many Caucasians do that either.
When using character to judge someone, that certain someone needs to stand on their own. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." In order for character to matter, a person needs to stand on his own when it comes to his character. What his neighbors or family do need not be his end.
Look at the world before the United States and after. Since the inception of this country and its republican form of representative government, more progress has been made than in all of human history before it. Never before had the individual and his rights been made the center of a form of government. I truly believe that this lifting up of the individual resulted in all that is good in this country. Invention was fostered like nowhere else. Technological progress became commonplace here. Our inventiveness spurred the world to do more, as well. Without Eli Whitney, the Wright brothers, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, Tesla and Edison, Steve Jobs, Steve Wonzniak, Ronald Wayne, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the world would be a very different place and not for the better(unless you are one of those radical green types that hates the fact that they are human). Also consider the contributions of men like Samuel Colt, Richard Gatling and John Browning. All of these amazing men had the environment fostered by the placement of the importance of individual rights to spur them forward. Many of today's inventions rely on the ideas and work of these pioneers. American culture enabled them to achieve and succeed beyond that of any other society or culture before.
John Browning's Semi Auto Pistol |
The Ford Assembly Line in 1913 |
Why should we seek to emulate the cultures of failed states, the world over. If we wanted to be a Third World country, the blueprint is there. Look to sub-Saharan Africa, Cuba and even Mexico if you want to see what government that is about those in power yields. Better yet, look to the Soviet Union and North Korea to see what authoritarian government yields. These are not cultures to emulate. The reason we did so well with immigrants coming to these United States for so many years was the push to make those immigrants into members of the American culture and value system. Be your own person, they were told. Learn the language of commerce (English, for those of you that don't know) and rely on yourself and if need be when you are down and out, your family, but most definitely, do not rely on the government for your success.
We are told by corporatists from both sides of the political aisle that we need to accept people that come here and treat our country like their third world home lands. Why? Just for cheap labor and even cheaper voting blocs? I won't do it and neither should you, if you have any sense. We are told that we must accept the lower expectations put on certain minority communities in our country, namely the black community. Why? All human DNA is the same. Why not hold every person to the same standard of conduct and not "give them room to destroy", as one idiot Baltimore mayor suggested? Rather than teach that every person is special for no reason, teach self worth based upon each person's actions and abilities. Self esteem is shallow but self worth is priceless.
In closing, hold up the ideals that founded this great land and learn from the mistakes of our forefathers. Push to return to individual liberty. Push against over regulation and the statist driven goals of a utopian society. Orwell was correct in when he explained in "1984" that groupthink is not a good thing. Think for yourself and your fellow man will benefit too.
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